Sheriff Jim Neil said two Mexican nationals developed relationships with southern Ohio drug dealers incarcerated at the London Correctional Institution and coordinated drug shipments.

Neil said 14 people have been arrested and about 35 pounds of heroin, 18 pounds of cocaine and $600k in assets were seized. Nearly 9 pounds of heroin was seized in a traffic stop on Interstate 74 in southeast Indiana in January. Those drugs were destined for Cincinnati and Springfield, authorities said.

Dearborn-Ohio County Prosecutor Aaron Negangard said the drugs were transported in hidden compartments in vehicles.

Neil said a confidential informant at the prison was the key to the 12-month investigation.

Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil said the operation had people in California, Texas, Nevada, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.

"We were not able to locate the evidence that indicates what any sort of connections there are to what region. But, these are large amounts of drugs coming out of Chicago and then clearly, you know, some of the conversations were with people who were in Mexico," Negangard said.

Lt. Col. Dave Bailey, of the Cincinnati Police Department, has been investigating criminal activity for 27 years. He said a haul of 1 kilogram of heroin used to be a big deal. Now, hauls of 4 kilos or more at a time is the norm.

"I mean, the tragedy that we've seen because of heroin is amazing, and it's not just inner-city problems. This is all over. I mean, I've never seen anything like it," Bailey said.

Among the 14 arrested so far is Ronald Serna, of New Carlisle, Ohio.

Investigators said he picked up the 4 kilos of heroin in Greensburg, Indiana.

According to court documents, Serna drove a Chevrolet Malibu, towards a drop-off point, a Holiday Inn along Interstate 74. Unbeknownst to him at the time, he was under surveillance and being trailed by Regional Narcotic Unit agents.

They spotted a traffic violation and started to pull him over According to investigators that’s when he pulled to the shoulder of I-74, opened the door and ran into the night. He was apprehended about a week later.

The car was towed, a warrant obtained, and the contraband, maybe worth more than $1 million on the streets, was found stowed in a gap between the back of the gas tank and bumper.

"There's a natural void there, and they used sheet metal and then covered it with paint to make it blend in with the car," Indiana State Trooper Chris Ritchy said.

Authorities said drug couriers are blending in, commuting right along with I-74 motorists every day, bringing huge hauls of heroin from Chicago to meet the demand in Greater Cincinnati.

The undoing of the suspects started with an informant, imprisoned at the London Correctional facility where arrangements for drug shipments were made.

"All the phone calls are recorded at correctional facilities," Negangard said. "And even though they used code words, we were able to determine what they were talking about through these phone conversations."

The street price for a single gram of heroin around Cincinnati is $150.

A typical user would purchase a gram or less. But dealers have been known to maximize their profits by cutting heroin with compounds like mannitol, even stimulants like phenitol.

The user, authorities emphasize, can be injecting or snorting a poisonous mixture of Russian roulette.

Lt. Col. Bailey said as hard as law enforcement is working to stop the influx, citizens must work equally as hard to tamp down the demand.

"My message is you don't want to mess with this stuff. I see it, I've seen personally lives ruined, destroyed, gone because people dabbled in heroin," Bailey said.

Two of the primary suspects remain at large in this investigation.

Moises Navarro was last tracked to the Chicago area.

Jorge Palacio Gamez, who had been locked up before getting released and deported, is believed to be somewhere in Mexico.

AND THE LIST OF CIVILIAN FLIGHTS THAT HAVE BEEN SHOT DOWN OVER THE PAST 40 YEARS. AT HOME, ORCHESTRATED FROM INSIDE OF A PRISON, A MAJOR DRUG TRAFFICKING OPERATION HAS BEEN DISRUPTED BY AREA LAW ENFORCEMENT. HE TENTACLES OF THIS ORGANIZATION STRETCH FROM CHICAGO TO CINCINNATI TO CALIFORNIA AND MEXICO. JOHN LONDON IS LIVE ALONG A MAJOR CORRIDOR OR OF DRUG SHIPMENTS IN OUR AREA, INTERSTATE 74. IT HAS BECOME SO PERVASIVE THAT AGENTS ARE OUT HERE REGULARLY ON 74 LOOKING FOR DRUG COURIERS. THEY KNOW THIS IS A PATHWAY. THE SEIZURE WAS 53 POUNDS OF HEROIN AND COKE, SYMBOLIC OF THE SEARCH. HERE IS A LAW ENFORCEMENT PICTURE OF WHAT THE SHERIFF CALLS AN EPIDEMIC. 4 KILOS, TWO INCHES THICK. THE TRAGEDY WE HAVE SEEN BECAUSE OF HEROINE IS AMAZING. IT NOT JUST INNER-CITY PROBLEMS. IT'S ALL OVER. THEY SHOW SOME OF THE 14 ARRESTED SO FAR. INVESTIGATORS SAY THAT THEY PICKED UP THE FOUR KILOS IN GREENSBURG INDIANA. TOWARD TO DROP OFF POINT, A HOLIDAY AND ALONG 74. -- HOLIDAY INN ALONG 74. IT WAS STOWED IN A GAS TANK ALONG THE BUMPER. THEY USE SHEET METAL AND COVER IT WITH PAINT TO MAKE IT BLEND IN WITH THE CAR. DRUG COURIERS ARE COMMUTING RIGHT ALONG WITH YOU ON 74 EVERYDAY. BRINGING HUGE HALLS OF HEROIN FROM CHICAGO TO MEET DEMANDING GREATER CINCINNATI. RESULTING IN DEATH, OVERDOSE, A LOT OF TRAGEDY. THE UNDOING OF THESE SUSPECTS STARTED WITH AN INFORMANT WHERE ARRANGEMENTS FOR DRUG SHIPMENTS ARE MADE. CODE WORDS WERE USED DOING PHONE CALLS. GREEN BAY PACKERS WAS POT, STEELERS FOR HERION. ONE KILO IS 1,000 GRAMS. THIS TIME THERE WERE NOT FIREARMS, BUT A LOT OF TIMES THERE ARE BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE IN A LOT OF CASES. IF YOU CAN APPETITE STRETCHING FROM CALIFORNIA TO NEVADA AND TEXAS UP IN CHICAGO. THAT PRISON WE MENTIONED IN CINCINNATI ROUNDS OUT THE MAP OF MISERY. TWO OF THE PRINCIPAL SUSPECTS

The Obama administration will unveil a major climate change plan Monday aimed at a large reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the nation's coal-burning power plants, a senior administration official told CNN.